The bile duct presents a difficult environment for stent devices implanted within the duct for the purpose of helping the duct to remain patent. Biliary stenting is most commonly performed using lengths of relatively rigid plastic tubing, primarily tubing of non-porous polytetrafluoroethylene or polyethylene. Plastic stent devices used for these applications are less than ideal in that they are known to be subject to occlusion, due to bacterial colonization and build up of biofilm on the luminal surface. Plastic stents are also known to migrate away from their originally implanted location. Further, because of their relatively rigid form, these prior devices do not lend themselves to being provided at a smaller diameter for insertion and for subsequent diametrical expansion during deployment for fitting against the walls of a body conduit such as a bile duct. Metal biliary stents, which have gained increased acceptance over the last decade, are typically balloon expandable or self expanding and are made from various metals including stainless steel and nitinol. Metallic biliary stents have the advantage of being delivered in a low profile, small diameter configuration and deployed in situ to a larger functional diameter appropriate to support the luminal wall of a biliary duct. Due to their larger functional diameters, the patency achieved with metal stents is longer than that of plastic stents; however, metal stents are known to be subject to occlusion from tumor ingrowth through the stent interstices.